I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at King's University College at Western University and Senior Research Affiliate with the Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society (TSAS). My areas of interest include critical sociology and criminology, racism, identity, sport, terrorism, and social control. Broadly speaking, my research focuses on how we make sense of a variety of social issues and the interventions we craft to alleviate associated harm. More specifically, I have written on Canadian and international counter-radicalization programs, the diffusion of transnational counter-terrorism policing, practices of 'scouting' high school football athletes, and constructions of national identity in response to tragedy. My work can be found in Punishment and Society, Crime, Media, Culture, Sociology of Sport Journal, Sociological Forum, Race & Class, Educational Gerontology, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Guardian, and Jacobin Magazine.
I am currently working on a project entitled "How radicalization has become the dominant framework for understanding terrorism." This project is funded by a SSHRC Insight Development Grant (2019-2021) and traces the emergence of radicalization as the primary framework for understanding transitions toward political violence. I am also working on several ongoing collaborations with a team of sociologists, criminologists, and computer scientists to develop more effective and efficient tools for detecting extremism in the online and offline spaces. I also co-host a podcast called The End of Sport - you can find it on iTunes, Google Play Music, and Spotify, or simply click the link below for a sneak peak. I teach a number of courses in sociology and criminology, including introductory sociology and criminology, quantitative and qualitative research methods, sociology of sport, sociology of catastrophe, critical security studies, surveillance, and sociology of terrorism.
I am currently working on a project entitled "How radicalization has become the dominant framework for understanding terrorism." This project is funded by a SSHRC Insight Development Grant (2019-2021) and traces the emergence of radicalization as the primary framework for understanding transitions toward political violence. I am also working on several ongoing collaborations with a team of sociologists, criminologists, and computer scientists to develop more effective and efficient tools for detecting extremism in the online and offline spaces. I also co-host a podcast called The End of Sport - you can find it on iTunes, Google Play Music, and Spotify, or simply click the link below for a sneak peak. I teach a number of courses in sociology and criminology, including introductory sociology and criminology, quantitative and qualitative research methods, sociology of sport, sociology of catastrophe, critical security studies, surveillance, and sociology of terrorism.
Recent Publications
Punishment & Society/ 2020
'Discipline that Hurts": Punitive Logics and Governance in Sport (w/ Liam Kennedy)
The Guardian / 2020
Cancelling the College Football Season is About Union Busting, Not Health (w/ Johanna Mellis and Nathan Kalman-Lamb)
The Guardian / 2020
'We Are Being Gaslit': College Football and Covid-19 Are Imperiling Athletes (w/ Johanna Mellis and Nathan Kalman-Lamb)
The Chronicle of HIgher Education / 2020
Canceling the College Football Season Isn't Enough (w/ Johanna Mellis and Nathan Kalman-Lamb)
Educational Gerontology / 2020
'For Older Folks Like Me, These Things Are Over Us...': The Challenge of Embedding iPads in Everyday Life Within a Long-Term Care Facility (w/ Alex Castleton and Alejandro Cid)
Crime, Media, Culture / 2019
Sending Messages to 'Knuckle-Dragging Thugs': Civilizing Processes and the Biosocial Revolution in the National Hockey League (w/ Liam Kennedy)
Sociology of Sport Journal / 2019
"We Are All Broncos": Hockey, Tragedy, and the Formation of Canadian Identity
Sociology of Sport Journal / 2018
In Search of a Five Star: The Centrality of Body Discourses in the Scouting of High School Football Athletes
Race & Class / 2018
"Radicalisation: The Journey of a Concept," revisited
"Radicalisation: The Journey of a Concept," revisited
Sociological Forum / 2017
The Othering of Muslims: Discourses of Radicalization in the New York Times, 1969-2014
The Othering of Muslims: Discourses of Radicalization in the New York Times, 1969-2014
